Per usual, July was a huge month for comics, thanks to the annual San Diego Comic-Con. Coupled with this month’s Image Expo, a staggering number of new books, projects, and movie info was released in a veritable deluge.
On the DC side of things, the beginning of the month brought word of several new projects for the languishing Vertigo imprint. On the other hand, SDCC saw relatively few comic announcements, with “Harley Quinn” by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, and an army of 18 artists being the only New 52 book unveiled. Rather, much time was devoted to discussing “Trinity War,” the Justice League centric crossover that launched early this month, and its forthcoming aftermath, “Forever Evil.”
Unfortunately, July saw the exodus of even more DC creators, with Justin Jordan and Ales Kot walking off “Superboy” and “Suicide Squad,” respectively.
Marvel, on the other hand, announced several new books, including “Wolverine: Origins II,”“Amazing X-Men,” and the return to the Marvel UK properties in “Revolutionary War”.
Without a doubt, the film side of comics took center stage this year, with major announcements from both publishers. Marvel had the dominant presense, with in depth looks at Guardians of the Galaxy Thor: The Dark World, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. All this paled in comparison to the formal announcement of Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. While said announcement could have easily stole the show, DC fired back with a megaton bomb; after years of fanboy yearning, Superman and Batman will grace the silver screen together in the sequel to Man of Steel, set to go against Avengers 2 in 2015.
Unfortunately, the current slate of comic based movies didn’t fair well in the month of July, with The Wolverine, R.I.P.D., and Red 2 releasing to less than favorable box office numbers. But hey, at least we got Pacific Rim, right?
It would be a shame to lose sight of the smaller publishers amidst the corporate hustle and bustle, with announcements like new “Bone” from Jeff Smith and the return of “The Maxx” by Sam Keith. The aforementioned Image Expo brought of deluge of new creator owned projects from favorites such as Rick Remender, Matt Fraction, and Jason Aaron.
Best Book: Batman Incorporated #13
As I mentioned in my review for this issue, the finale to Grant Morrison’s Batman wasn’t perfect. However when viewed in light of everything that has preceded it, it’s one of the most important issues in quite some time. Morrison and Burnham turned in some fantastic work, bringing the story back around in a perfect oroboros.
Runner-up: Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1
Best Writer(s): Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire
Okay, do I actually think these two are the absolute best writers in comics for the month of July? Not really. Am I cheating a bit by featuring them both here? Yeah, probably. However, the duo just kicked off “Trinity War,” a story that marks the beginning of the end of the New 52’s first major “cycle.” And you know what, it’s probably one of the most satisfying “events” I’ve read in a while. Extremely self contained, packed with action and emotion, and paying off several years worth of story, it’s the perfect gift to those who have stuck with the New 52 since its troubled beginnings. Factor in each writer’s other books, “Aquaman,” “Green Arrow,” and “Animal Man” (which shipped twice in July), which are among the best of the New 52, and it’s safe to say these guys deserve some recognition.
Best Artist: Chris Burnham
Let’s take another moment to give credit to Chris Burnham, who has experienced a meteoric rise in talent and recognition since coming aboard “Batman Incorporated” back in volume 1. In “Batman Incorporated” #13, Burnham offered the perfect visual swan song for a run that has heavily depended on very specific imagery and one’s perception of reality.
Runner-up: Ivan Reis
Best Cover: Revival #12
I’m a fair bit behind on this book, but it’s impossible not to love Skottie Young’s whimsical cover. It’s good to see his fantastic talents used somewhere outside of Marvel’s baby variants.
Continued belowRunner-up: FF #9
Best Digital Series: Batman ’66
In a month dominated by good comics featuring the Dark Knight, Jeff Parker and Jonathan Case’s revitalization of the Adam West Batman series is easily the most fun book published at DC. Taking advantage of DC’s “DC2” format, each issue packs in a heavy amount of content for the cheap price of $0.99.
Best Slice of Comic Book History: Jim Steranko gets Twitter and tells a story of the time he slapped Bob Kane in the face.
